Tag Archives: action packed 1990

NFL

Jones, Ed “Too Tall”

Cards: Action Packed 1990, Photo Memorabilia
Acquired: In Person, Lenscrafters appearance 1992.

Back in the heyday of my autograph collecting I’d scour the local Austin paper for football players making appearances. Too Tall and Drew Pearson made one such appearance at a grand opening of a Lenscrafters in Barton Creek Mall back in 1992. Josh and I went there and arrived about 30 minutes early. (It’s too bad that about a 2 hour line had figured this out in front of us.) Ed was cool enough to sign both a card and the photo that the store provided to us (and really it was a duck shoot because all we had to do was wait in line to get it).  The better story was the fact that we hadn’t really been to that mall often enough and got extremely lost for another 2 hours, finally giving up and walking around the perimeter of the indoor mall to leave.

Ed “Too Tall” Jones was the first overall pick of the 1974 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He’d form the foundation of the vaunted Cowboys’ “Doomsday Defense”. At 6″ 9′ Jones’ nickname “Too Tall” was apt even at his defensive end position. Too Tall receives little credit at a sacker, as sacks were not considered an official statistic until 1982.  Jones would be named All Pro from 1981-1983, playing in 3 Superbowls and 15 seasons. He’d retire briefly in 1979 to go into boxing for about a season, but would return in 1980 after posting a 6-1 record. (It was quite a spectacle based on “Too Tall’s” size.) Ed would play for the Cowboys up through 1989, where he’d eventually retire, after Jimmy Johnson‘s first season as coach playing in 223 games. Jones’ impact on the Cowboys was immense, and he is another defensive player who was shortchanged from being in the NFL HoF, probably based on the sheer number of Dallas’ players enshrined, the tracking of sacks as an official statistic, and the overall lack of defensive talent in the hall.

Ed since retiring from football remains active as a guest speaker and firmly embraces his role as a former Cowboys player. “Too Tall” was named into the Van Heusen’s inaugural Pro Football Fan’s Hall of Fame in 2010 and also was named #26 on the Dallas Cowboys all time list.  He plays golf regularly and also has made a few TV appearances, most notably on a Geico commercial spoofing on his own nickname.

Games  223       Tac  N/a         Sac 106        Fum 19
Int 3     Yds 14    Avg 4.3   Td 0

NFL, Pro Football HoF

Largent, Steve

Cards: Score 1989, Action Packed 1990.
Acquired: In Person 1993, CAC conference, Austin, Tx.
See Also: Steve Largent (2)

Josh and I got wind of a Christian Athletes for Christ conference at a hotel in Austin where Largent was the keynote speaker. We went into the hotel and cased the joint like professional paparazzi and then found a spot out of the way but near the event banquet that we could stake out. It was probably the most boring hour and a half we spent in our lives sitting out there, but once the doors kicked open to the hall and people started leaving, Josh and I bum rushed the entrance towards the podium. You could almost put a camera above us as we went into that room full of circular tables with us dodging around them and the people up to the front. I would swear that Largent looked at us both dumbfounded, but to our glee he autographed both of my cards and Josh’s as well. I realized that at this time after that happened, I had passed up Josh in my obsession with the hobby, as I was ecstatic to add such a player of prestige to my collection and he was just… okay.

Steve Largent was originally a 4th round choice of the Houston Oilers in 1976 who found himself traded to the expansion Seattle Seahawks for an 8th round draft choice.  Largent was neither the fastest or biggest receiver in the league but he made up for it with great hands and precision route running.  After retiring in 1989 Largent held many of the league records including career receptions, yards, touchdowns and consecutive games with a catch. A 7 time Pro-bowler, and member of the 1980’s decade team, Steve was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame 1995.  He then began his career in politics serving the State of Oklahoma and then moving onto Congress representing the 1st district.

Games  200        Rec  819          Yds  13,039         Avg  16.0              TD  100